Brief: This article explores Emperor Wu of Jin’s tragic legacy. He shifted from frugality to decadence, ignored warnings, and chose his intellectually unfit son Sima Zhong as heir, sidelining capable Prince Sima You. His blind faith in royal kinship planted the seeds of the devastating War of the Eight Princes and Jin’s collapse.
Brief: This article recounts the rivalry and rewards after Jin conquered Wu. Emperor Wu honored late strategist Yang Hu, while Du Yu remained humble. A bitter dispute erupted between Wang Jun, who captured Jianye, and Wang Hun, a powerful court favorite. The emperor’s partial settlement sparked resentment, yet Wang Jun later found peace through…
— by Tao Yuanming (Jin) During the Taiyuan era of the Jin Dynasty, a fisherman from Wuling made his living by fishing. One day, he sailed along a stream, forgetting how far he had traveled. Suddenly, he came upon a grove of peach trees lining both banks for several hundred paces. There were no…
In Chapter 9 of Journey to the West, significant space is devoted to a philosophical exchange between a fisherman named Zhang Shao and a woodcutter named Li Ding.